Vishay Launches New Phototriacs with Static dV/dt of 5 kV/µs, Blocking Voltages of 400 V and 600 V, and Trigger Currents as Low as 1.6 mA

MALVERN, Pa. — March 24, 2006 — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE: VSH) is adding to its industry-leading phototriac portfolio with 12 new devices offering a static dV/dt of 5 kV/µs, a five-fold improvement over the next best devices from other suppliers. These new phototriacs give customers a selection of 58 base phototriac part numbers (excluding electrical and lead form options) that is broad enough to meet any application requirement.

The new phototriacs will be used to isolate low-voltage logic from high-voltage power mains in industrial systems running off 120-V, 240-V and 380-V ac lines. Typical applications include control of resistive, inductive, and capacitive loads, including ac motor drives, TRIAC drives, switching power supplies, programmable controllers, high-current thyristors, relays, temperature controls, and solenoid/valve controls.

The devices released today include zero-crossing (ZC) and non-zero-crossing (NZC) phototriacs, all with an isolation test voltage of 5300 VRMS and on-state current of 300 mA. Specific device options allow designers to choose from industry-low trigger currents of 1.6 mA, 2 mA or 3 mA, simplifying the interface to standard logic circuits, as well as blocking voltages of 400 V or 600 V. A proprietary dV/dt clamp results in a static dV/dt of greater than 5 kV/µs.

The new ZC VO4154 and VO4156 series phototriacs consist of a GaAs infrared LED that is optically coupled to a photosensitive ZC TRIAC detector chip. This design type helps to reduce EMI noise harmonics while featuring lower peak operating currents, making it well suited for noise-sensitive circuits. Devices in the VO4254 and VO4256 series of NZC phototriacs, on the other hand, have the advantage of being able to trigger any time during the ac phase cycle and turn off at the next zero crossing. This makes the NZC devices an ideal choice for many phase modulation applications.

The following table summarizes the characteristics of the new devices in the VO415x and VO425x phototriac optocoupler families:

The new phototriacs feature reinforced insulation per IEC60950 2.10.5.1.

Encased in the 6-pin DIP, samples of the new VO4154/6 and VO4254/6 phototriacs are available now. Production quantities have a lead-time of six to eight weeks.

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., a Fortune 1,000 Company listed on the NYSE (VSH), is one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors (diodes, rectifiers, transistors, and optoelectronics and selected ICs) and passive electronic components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, sensors, and transducers). These components are used in virtually all types of electronic devices and equipment, in the industrial, computing, automotive, consumer, telecommunications, military, aerospace, and medical markets. Its product innovations, successful acquisition strategy, and ability to provide "one-stop shop" service have made Vishay a global industry leader. Vishay can be found on the Internet at http://www.vishay.com.